Dr. Robert D. Ballard, President, Institute for Exploration, Mystic, CT will present a keynote address at the 32nd Annual Meeting and Dinner of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering on May 22, 2007 at the Hilton Mystic Hotel in Mystic, Connecticut. His talk will focus on his most recent work in deep water archaeology and the use of tele-presence technology in the Nation’s new Ocean Exploration program.

The event will be attended by over 250 members of the Academy, invited guests, and winners of 2007 statewide science competitions. The H. Joseph Gerber Medal of Excellence, created by the Academy and sponsored by Gerber Scientific, Inc., will be awarded to the two first place winners of the 2007 Connecticut Science Fair and the first place winner of the 2007 Connecticut Science Challenge.

One of the world’s most accomplished deep-sea explorers, Dr. Ballard is best known for his historic discovery of the RMS Titanic. During his long career, he has conducted more than a hundred deep-sea expeditions dealing with both the natural and human history beneath the sea. He is the author of bestselling books on his discovery of the Titanic and the Bismarck, and the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Explorer’s Club’s Explorer’s Medal, the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal, the Lindbergh Award, the Newcomb Cleveland Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Humanities Medal. He is an explorer-in-residence for the National Geographic Society, president of the Institute for Exploration, director of the newly created Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, and founder of the JASON Project, an award-winning educational program that reaches more than 1.7 million students and 38,000 teachers annually.

Dr. Ballard is now using advanced technology to create a new field of research in deep water archaeology. At the Institute for Exploration’s Challenge of the Deep with its Immersion Program, as well as with his JASON Project, he hopes to inspire young people to pursue learning in science, math, and technology through exploration and discovery. This summer, he will be using satellite and internet technologies to bring thousands of students around the world into direct contact with his team while it is on location in the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea.

Dr. Robert D. Ballard is a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.